Mozilla, the firm that operates Firefox, one of the world’s most popular Web browsers, announced today via an official blog post that they have named Chris Beard to the post of interim CEO of Mozilla. Beard will also become a member of Mozilla’s Board of Directors. This comes after Brendan Eich, Mozilla’s former, short-lived CEO, resigned roughly a week and a half ago after it was revealed that he donated to a political campaign in 2008 which opposed gay marriage in California.
In the blog post, Mitchell Baker, Mozilla’s Executive Chairwoman, expanded on the firm’s decision to name Beard as its interim CEO.
“In this time of transition there is no better person to lead us. Chris has one of the clearest visions of how to take the Mozilla mission and turn it into programs and activities and product ideas that I have ever seen. In the early years at Mozilla he was responsible for leading the Mozilla product, marketing and innovation teams. More recently, Chris was our CMO, leading user, developer and community engagement activities globally, including the initial launches of Firefox on Android and Firefox OS at MWC.”
Baker also referenced the recent controversy surrounding the rise and fall of Brendan Eich in the blog post.
“We intend to use recent events as a catalyst to develop and expand Mozilla’s leadership. Appointing Chris as our interim CEO is a first step in this process.”
Considering the firestorm that erupted after Eich’s appointment to the role of CEO, Mozilla had no choice but to name a safe pick to the position, while promising to learn from the experience. Given recent events, the hiring of Chris Beard and his history, both professional and personal, will likely be given a strong look-over by the tech, business, and news communities.
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